Gold

Gold is one of the most non-destructive, brilliant, and beautiful metals. This unique set of qualities has made it a coveted object in almost every civilization for most of human history, and there have been active gold markets for over 6,000 years. Moreover, gold is one of the oldest ways to store wealth. As a result, gold has impacted the everyday economic activities of all persons.

Gold has traditionally been seen as a store of value precisely because it is not subject to the whims of governments and central banks as currency. Gold prices are not influenced directly by either fiscal or monetary policy. They would always be worth something unlike cash, which could become almost worthless, for example, because of rampant inflation. Further, gold has an emotional attachment that can make it different from other investments.

While gold does have industrial uses, its demand mainly originates from investment purposes like gold coins and jewelry. Jewelry production represents the most stable long-term source of demand for gold and has been one of the earliest uses for gold. The primary sources of demand for jewelry are in Asia, with China and India constituting the most significant markets. The industrial need for gold arises mainly from dentistry and electronics.